Clan elders' grip on Mandera politics remains tight after two more candidates for the Banisa by-election withdrew from the race amid mounting pressure.
The People’s Liberation Party (PLP) aspirant, Issack Malela Ali and independent candidate Jackson Mwirigi Ithali have dropped out of the race, citing different reasons.
In a social media post, Mr Malela, who bowed out a few hours before being cleared by the IEBC, stated, “I made this decision for personal reasons, after careful consultation with my supporters and personal advisors. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the PLP and my campaign team and the people of Banisa for their unwavering support and trust throughout this journey,” he said.
Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala (right) welcomes Banisa constituency candidate Aden Mohamed to the party during a press briefing at their headquarters in Nairobi on July 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
This comes weeks after the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Adan Mohamed Kiongozi abandoned the contest after meeting President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi but he also cited pressure from elders.
However, it is Mr Mwirigi’s exit which was the most dramatic. He had to leave Banisa Constituency under heavy security, having abandoned his dream.
Mr Mwirigi, a teacher by profession and the only non-resident to vie in the contest, says he was vying to test the law that allows all Kenyans to vie for an electoral seat anywhere in the country.
“However, it never worked for me. The ground turned very hostile and I received threats on my life,” he says.
Mr Jackson Mwirigi Ithalii. His attempt to vie for Banisa seat in the November 27, 2025 by elections was thwarted by the clan elders.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation
Mr Mwirigi travelled about 1,002 kilometres from Nairobi to Banisa to convince the electorate that indeed he was the man to represent them in the August House.
“I arrived in Banisa town on a Sunday and on Monday, I was on the streets collecting signatures to enable me to be cleared to run. I managed 27 signatures on the first day, a sign that the electorate were willing to vote me in,” Mr Mwirigi said.
Immediately, word went round that Mr Mwirigi’s candidacy was gaining traction, the local clan elders started looking for him.
“The elders came for me and everything changed. They threatened to harm me for seeking a seat in a foreign land. They felt I was a stranger and an outsider who was eying a seat that belongs to them. One of the elders threatened to beat me up,” he said.
He says the following day, he was summoned to a local police station, where the elders fabricated some charges against him.
“The elders claimed I was a fake Kenya Power staff collecting data from the locals and that the police should take action against me,” he said.
But when the police realised that his life was in danger, they advised him to run for his dear life and offered to escort him out of Banisa Constituency.
“Police in Banisa escorted me all the way to Takaba in Mandera West where I boarded a bus to Moyale. My plan to run for Banisa seat aborted on September 18, 2025,” he recounted.
Mr Mwirigi blames clan elders’ control over the local politics in Mandera for his failed plan to seek election in Banisa Constituency.
“The reception from the locals was good. If I could collect 27 signatures on the first day, it means getting the 1,000 signatures wouldn’t have been that difficult,” he said.
If he had managed, then this could have been the second time Mr Mwirigi is seeking election as an independent candidate.
In 2022, he vied for the Kileleshwa Ward seat as an independent candidate but lost to Robert Alai.
For an independent candidate to seek election in Kenya, the electoral laws stipulate that he or she must present a clearance certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties. The independent candidate has to get backing from at least 1,000 voters.
Mr Mwirigi was also expected to present a duly filled Form of Intention to contest for the Banisa seat and present a symbol he intended to use during the election.
The electoral law demands that Mr Mwirigi must have established and maintained a functioning office that must be available for inspection by the IEBC at least 45 days before the elections.
The address, including the physical address of the office, must be communicated to the commission.
“I was in Banisa set to fulfill all these requirements by the commission but the threats and intimidation conspired against me,” he said.
A section of residents criticised the move by the elders to elbow out candidates in the by-election.
Mr Adan Hassan, a resident of Banisa, blamed Mr Mwirigi’s unfortunate experience on the tribal culture of the locals in the area.
“Our people would rather have their own vying elsewhere but not have an outsider vying here. We have Junet Mohamed from Mandera who an MP in Luo Nyanza and many residents of Mandera were nominated in different county assemblies yet we cannot give that same opportunity to non-Somalis. Our elders should have allowed Mwirigi the opportunity to run because that was one way of building cohesion and exercising political tolerance and maturity,” Mr Hassan said.
Mr Hussein Abdullahi attributed Mr Mwirigi’s incident to a political wave by local politicians pushing to have the ruling party’s candidate, Ahmed Maalim Hassan elected unopposed.
“Senior politicians and clan elders have been pushing for unopposed election of Mr Maalim of the UDA. Other aspirants have dropped after being prevailed upon and even our own local party United Democratic Movement (UDM) handed over its candidate to UDA,” he said.
Mr Ahmed Maalim Hassan and Governor Mohamed Khalif on September 10, 2025 in Banisa. Mr Hassan is seeking to succeed his late brother as Banisa MP in the November 27, 2025 by-elections.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation
UDM, a party led by Mandera Senator Ali Roba converged at State house in Nairobi on July 9, 2025 and presented Mr Ahmed Maalim Hassan alias Barre to President William Ruto’s UDA party.
The Banisa constituency fell vacant following the death of Mr Kullow Maalim Hassan in March 2023, an elder brother to the UDA candidate.
IEBC constituency manager said only two out of four candidates had been cleared for the contest. These include Mr Nurdin Maalim Mohamed, alias Dalato and Mr Ahmed Maalim Hassan alias Barre.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) deputy leader in charge of strategy and policy, Prof Peter Kagwanja said the withdrawal of Mr Malela has no impact on their party.
“Banisa seat was not ours from the beginning but the candidate came to us asking for our ticket and we offered him. We don’t regret his decision to step down because our focus is on 2027 and not the by-elections,” Prof Kangwanja said.
However, Prof Kangwanja blamed political events in Banisa on government interference, accusing the ruling party of buying off opponents.
“There is a lot of incentives being given to opposition candidates in Banisa. There is propaganda value to the government when a candidate steps down but at PLP, our focus is on 2027,” he maintained.
